Paper carpet.



G. H. DAVIS PAPER CARPET.

APPLICATION FILED N0v.15, 1911.

1,038,095, Patented Sept.- 10, 1912.

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' aeqgam's,

citizen of the United States, residing UNITED sTATEs PATENT loEEioE.

GEORGE H. DAvIs, or PORTLAND, MAINE, AssIeNOP. 'ro E. T. EtmEoWEs, OE

PORTLAND, MAINE.

PAPER CARPET.

Patented Sept. 10, 1912.l

Continuation of application Serial No. 610,646, 1ed February 24, 1911.This application filed November 15;

Serial N0. 660,517.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. DAvIs, a at.Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Paper Carpets, of which t-hefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

This application is in part a continuation of my application filed Feb.24, 1911, Serial No. 610,646, covering improvements in paper carpetl-The invention relates to improvements in floor coverings, and has forits primary object the provision of what may be properly styled apractical paper carpet, which, owing to its eflicienoy and the cheapnesswith which the same may be manufactured and sold, will fill a long-feltwant or enter a field of service not heretofore Occupied in iioorcoverings. It may also, to a considerable extent, supplant ordinarylinoleums,

loil-cloths, straw mattings, and in fact the cheaper grades of clothcarpet.

Itl is universally recognized that there exist innumerable instanceswhere it is desirable to have a neat and durable floor covering, butwhere the expense of the usual coverings is not justiied,-for example,spare rooms or bed rooms not subjected to hard usage,-and it is equallyrwell known that the relatively expensive character of ordinary floorcoverings is, in many cases, notably among the poorer classes,prohibitive of their use.

It is witha view of meeting the conditions above outlined that thepresent invention has been devised.

I am aware that it has'been heretofore attempted to provide a suitablefloor covering by employing what is known as ro epaper in lieu ofburlaps, as the body or an oilcloth and to which the several coatings ofpaint to constitute the wear surface, and the decorative printing havebeen applied, butsuch an effort was simply directed to the overcoming ofthe objections,- such as'roughness,--of the burlap body of theoil-cloth. It has also been suggested that a Hoor covering might beprovided in the nature of an oilcloth the body of .which was made ofpaper, the wearing layers of paint and ornamentationbeing applied to theex osed face thereof and the back covere by a thin textile fabric suchas cheesecloth. Such a composite structure is quite expensive ascompared to the carpet of the present invention, and possesses thatdisadvantage inherent in the different capabilities of paper andcloth'to absorb moisture, etc., and to diferently expand and contract,resulting in the wrinkling and uneven lying of the oilcloth.

As distlnguished from the foregoing, the present invention embraces theprovision of a carpet composed substantially of paper alone, in itselfof suflicient density, thickness, hardness and stiffness,-in other wordsa paper board strip,to render the same useful and practical inlperforming the functions usually expected of a carpet possessing thegeneral characteristics of linoleum, oilcloth, matting, etc.

With all of the foregoing considerations in mind the presentimprovements are for the paramount object of rendering an allpaper stripcommercially practical and useful as a substitute for the ordinary iioorcovering or carpet,

Carrying this objectinto effect, the invention consists of a papercarpet wherein the body part as a whole is of paper or' paper stockprovided along its edges, and if desirable also intermediate of thedges, with strips of fabric or other stren thening material. Thesestripsare spaced apart and are intended to serve the purposes ofprevent-ing the edges of the carpet from buckling or crimping when laid;of constituting with the edges of the paper body a strong abuttingmargin for an adjoining strip; and of serving as a suitable edgingthrough which tacks may be forced for retaining the carpet in place. Byhaving the main portions or intermediate of said strips and an1ntermediate strip or strips devoid of supplemental reinforcing fabric,the body is given substantially full freedom for natural expansion andcontraction according to moisy ture, temperature changes, etc., and thisexpansion and contraction is rendered uniform throughout, asdistinguished from-a fabric coated vwith paper wherein there is theinvention in practical form may now be considered, it being understoodthat the in- -yention is capable of embodiment in other forms than thatspecifically disclosed herein, as will appeal to those skilled in theart. That embodiment of the invention to -Which I havemade reference isillustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof andwherein- Figure l is a face view of a section of the carpetstrip, Fig. 2is a bottom View of the "same, Fig. 3 is -a cross sectional view, Fig. 4

is a longitudinal sectional View, and, Fig. 5 is a bottom perspectiveView showing the use of one intermediate reinforcing strip.

Referring more specifically to the drawings wherein like referencecharacters designate corresponding features in the several views Arepresents the strip of' carpet, the same being formed of paper ofsuitable width and lengt-h and of that character hereinbefore set forthas to density, thickness, I etc., rendering the same ca able in itselfof withstanding the wear to w ich'the same is subjected. The under sideof the strip may be left plain or printed if desired to represent clothor burlap,` while the u per or'exposed surface thereof is decorate inkeeping with the particular use or surround-l ings in connection withwhich the carpet 1s designed, and both surfaces where found expedientmay be treated to render them impervious to moisture.

One or both margins of the stri A and the ends of the same, where foundesirable, are provided with an underlying reinforcing narrow strip offabricvsuch as muslin, conveniently in the nat-ure of selvage-edged tapeB, secured in any desired manner to the under surface of the paper, asby pasting.

4These narrowwoven fabric reinforcing strips, when properlyv applied atthe edges of the paper body strip assist materially in` preserving thepaper strip in proper condition for` service, and in service preventundue warping or curling of the edges thereof, present strong toughedges against which an adjoining kstrip may be alined and abutted,prevent kicking-up and tearing of the edges of the paper under theaction of the foot, and also act as tacking strips through -,which thetacks may. be driven and prevented thereby from pulling through thepaper andv freeing the frail unprotected raw edge of the paper as wouldinevitably follow were the tacks passed through the "paper alone. Byutilizing the selvage edge,

I obtain the additional advantage that ravell ings incidental to the useof raw-edged fabric cannot escape 4upwardly through the space betweenadjoining strips and render the carpet as a whole unsightly in thatparticular.

.As illustrated in 'F ig. 5 of the drawings, wherever found desirable,intermediate `reinforcing and tacking strips C may be secured to theunder surface of the paper body in such number and arrangement foundpractical and useful, de endent upon the width and the strip, etc. Idesired, several thicknesses of the reinforcing strips may be employed,thus further to prevent stretching o the paper and maintaining the shapeof the carpet, also enabling the carpet to withstand unusual or abnormalpulling action on the securing tacks, while throughout the entiremarginal edges 0f the carpet such edges' will be preserved aga-inst .anyfracture or breakage which might be incident to a tripping or severekicking' action of the toe of the foot. The narrow raised strips willalso serve to hold the decorated surfaces of the carpet out of contactto a considerable extent when the paper strip is .rolled for compactnessin shipping or storage.

By reason of the fact that the intermediate portions of the paper bodystrip, represented'at D in Fig. 2 and E in Fig. 5, are devoid of the suplemental reinforcing and stiening materia, said paper body strip issubstantially free and therefore capable of independent andyconsequently uniform expansion and contraction under changing conditionsof moisture and temperature.

I claim 1. A carpet consisting of a dense body strip formed wholly ofpaper of substantial thickness to render the same durable, the obversesurface `of said strip being decorated, and a narrow reinforcingstiiiening strip of woven fabric at each edge of the body constitut-ingwith said edge an abutting mar in of substantial thickness and strength,intermediate portions of the body beingdevoid of the supplementalstifi'ening material t0 permit relatively free and uniform expansion andcontraction thereof.

2. A carpet consisting of a dense body strip formed Wholly of paper ofsubstantial thickness to render the same durable, the obverse surface ofsm'd strip being decorated, and edge and intermediate narrow reinforcingstifening strips of woven fabric, the edge reinforcing stripconstituting with an edge of the paper body strip an abutting margin ofsubstantial thickness and strength,

the portions of the paper body strip intermediate of the reinforcingstrips and beyond the intermediate'strip being devoid of thesupplemental sti'ifening material topermit relatively free and uniformexpansion and contraction thereof; H'

3. A carpet consisting of a dense body strip formed wholly of paper ofsubstantial thickness to render the same durable, and tively free-anduniform expansion and cona narrow reinforcing Stiffening strip ofsuittraction thereof. 10 able fabric at the edge of the body constitut-In testimony whereof I aiX my signature 111g with said edge an abuttingmargin of in presence of two Witnesses.

substantial thickness and strength, the ma- GEORGE II. DAVIS.

jor portion of the paper body strip through- Vitnesses:

out the extent thereof being devoid of sup- II. I-I. RUSSELL,

plemental st-itfening material to permit rela- S. A. KINSLEY.

